Peripheral Blood Smear (PS)

Peripheral Blood Smear(PS) - RBCs

Indications

Peripheral smear is done for typing anemia, to confirm red blood cells (RBC) indices or indicate leukemia or other conditions,

RBC inclusions

Basophilic or polychromatophilic macrocytes ( < 15 in healthy persons, increased in erythropoiesis due to hemorrhage or hemolysis); microcytes with stippling (thalassemia, lead poisoning); Cabot's rings (severe hemolytic anemias, pernicious anemia [ PA]); Howell – Jolly bodies(megaloblastic anemia, thalassemia, hyposplenism, splenectomy); Pappenheimer bodies (Sideroblastic anemia, thalassemia, lead poisoning, pyridoxine unresponsive or responsive anemias); Heinz bodies (congenital G – 6 PD deficiency, drug induced hemolytic anemias); Plasmodium trophozoites(malaria); reticulocyte.

Thrombocytopenia (Decreased Platelet Count )

Thrombocytopenia in

Bone marrow depression, hypersplenism, viral infections (especially in dengue fever), drug hypersensitivity, antiplatelet antibodies (lgG and lgM), increased platelet consumption in thrombotic thrombocytopenia (TTP), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and septicemia.

Thrombocytosis (Increased Platelet Count )

Thrombocytosis in

After administration of epinephrine due to splenic contraction or after splenectomy, trauma (e.g. surgery, injury, childbirth) and stress.